News Archive

Tomorrow, the people of Greece will take to the streets again to occupy Syntagma Square in protest of the extreme austerity measures being imposed on the backs of the Greek 99% to the joy and benefit of the European financial elite. The 99% everywhere are under assault by the same global banking interests. Greece is merely the most severe economic crisis yet to be imposed by the International Monetary Fund and other agents of the 1% in the Global North. People all over the world live under the tyranny of policies dictated by the IMF, the World Bank, and the G8. As demonstrated by the wholesale slashing of social services in the name of "debt reduction," New York City and the United States are not immune.

Our resistance to austerity will also be global. This weekend, the people of cities across the world will take to the streets in solidarity with the Greek protesters who have occupied their workplaces and public spaces to resist economic injustice. Demonstrations are planned throughout Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portgual, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, and more. Click here for a partial listing of international rallies on Facebook. Occupy Chicago held a Greece solidarity rally yesterday. There is a rally today in San Francisco and tomorrow in New York City. See below for more information, the original call-out, and a statement of solidarity from Occupy Atlanta.

On Friday morning, National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense attorney Jethro Eisenstein will be arguing for the dismissal of charges brought following the clearance of Zuccotti Park on November 15, 2011. In People v. Nunez, Attorney Eisenstein will be representing one of the many protesters who was charged with trespassing on that day. A favorable decision on Eisenstein's argument could benefit everyone facing trespassing charges resulting from the eviction, and could show that Brookfield Properties did not have the authority to have people removed from Zuccotti Park.

Come out, pack the courtroom this Friday, and show your support for the Occupy arrestees!

Earlier today, a family who has been wrongly foreclosed upon occupied a Citibank branch in Los Angeles. Crowds of protesters, including Occupy LA, gathered in the lobby to show support. The family, including four children, are facing homelessness in spite of having enough money to make payments. The protesters refused to leave until Freddie Mac negotiate to keep the family in their home.

Children from the family held signs saying "Freddie Mac Give Our Home Back" and protesters chanted "We Are the 99%" and "Banks Got Bailed Out, We Got Sold Old!" Around 1:15 PM Pacific Time, dozens of armed police arrived and threatened to arrest the entire family. Legal observers with the National Lawyers Guild were on hand. The homeowner and father of the family, along with other protesters, was led away in handcuffs while hundreds chanted "save our homes, we want justice!" Today, police arrested the victim of wrongful foreclosure simply for demanding a place to live for his family. Follow @OccupyLA and @OccupyOurHomes on Twitter.

The Occupy Our Homes movement has continued to grow since it began last November. On Valentine's Day, Occupy LA disrupted a foreclosure hearing for an active duty solider and veteran and his family. This week, thousands of supporters helped Occupy Nashville save the home of a local 78-Year-Old Civil Rights activist. Occupy Minneapolis pledged to save a third home in response to the National Mortgage Settlement. Foreclosure defense actions have also occurred in Cleveland, Atlanta, Rochester, Chicago, Brooklyn, and across the country.

Occupy Detroit, along with local labor and progressive organizations, has prevented four foreclosures - once by physically blocking a dumpster - and recently announced plans to save a fifth. In every case, banks backed down and agreed to negotiate with homeowners. Occupy Our Homes actions seek to expose banking practices, economic inequality, and corporate greed as the root causes of the housing crisis, while also taking direct action to prevent homelessness.

Update, 2/17: This morning, OWS shut down the NY-Queens Foreclosure Auction through non-violent direct action! 22 people were arrested. Also today, Occupy DC announced it will begin a foreclosure defense campaign. They will rally against Freddie Mac at 325 7th St NW on Feb. 27 at noon to protest its foreclosing on the home of Bertina Jones.

It’s Valentines Day, and Occupiers are showing our love. In New York, OWS held a bed-in and kiss-in against elected officials in bed with Wall Street. Others joined with social and environmental justice groups to break up with Bank of America for profiting from unjust foreclosures and the destruction of the environment. After Occupiers in Tacoma were unjustly tazed by police after shouting down presidential candidate Rick Santorum during a speech against same-sex marriage in Washington state, Occupy Austin brought same-sex couples to ask for marriage licenses in the Texas capital. Occupy Oakland is on the move chanting "We love Oakland!" Across the world, we encourage supporters to break up with their banks - Occupy Los Angeles is even marching to banks to break up in person.

Love is not a commodity that can be purchased. We show our love by fighting for a better world. Here are just a few ways Occupiers have been showing our love this week.
Read More...